One Voice Blackburn delivers a programme of activities which raise awareness of health inequalities faced by local communities and tackle key issues that particularly affect our ethnic minority residents through co-produced campaigns and engagement activities. Our health programme, ‘Baiter Sehat’ (Better Health) was awarded the Excellence in Health Award by the Department of Health for its engagement of communities in improving their own health and wellbeing.
Stem Cell Drive Receives National Backing
Anthony Nolan have agreed a two-year project with a Blackburn charity to support a stem cell drive in the northwest.
One Voice Blackburn and Anthony Nolan have been working in partnership for the last two years to recruit more potential donors from all ethnicities to the stem cell register and improve outcomes for patients.
In the next two years One Voice Blackburn will continue to recruit young people aged between 16 and 30 to the stem cell register. The charity has recruited over 200 individuals to the register since April 2023. The organisation has also released a video with a stem cell recipient that is used across the UK and is looking to produce a further video talking about the religious aspects of stem cell donation.
According to Anthony Nolan, every 14 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer. Blood cancer is the most common type of cancer in children. 2,200 people each year need a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor. There is clear disparity in equity of access to treatment for those from minority ethnic backgrounds. There is a real need young men and people from minority ethnic backgrounds to sign up and help save lives.
One Voice Blackburn and Anthony Nolan have carried out several stem cell drive events where individuals can join the register. These have taken place in education and community settings to increase the number of young people from a BAME background to join the stem cell register.
For people with blood cancer and blood disorders a stem cell transplant from a stranger is often their best chance of survival. Anthony Nolan needs more people from south Asian communities on the register so more people can find the matching donor they desperately need.
Holly Gooch, Senior Partnerships Manager at Anthony Nolan, says:
‘We’re proud to fund One Voice Blackburn via the Anthony Nolan Partnership Grant and continue our collaboration to grow and diversify the stem cell register.
‘Their crucial initiatives will engage local communities to increase the number of stem cell donors from minority ethnic backgrounds. This will enable Anthony Nolan to provide more second chances at life – particularly for patients who are more likely to be told there is no matching stem cell donor for them.
‘We believe that everyone should be able to find their perfect match, regardless of their ethnicity, and look forward to working with One Voice Blackburn.’
Zaffer Khan, Chief Executive of One Voice Blackburn, added:
“Our partnership with Anthony Nolan is unique because we are able to offer our valuable community insight to their delivery plans. We are privileged that a reputable organisation such as Anthony Nolan has put their trust in One Voice Blackburn for the next two years in increasing the numbers on the stem cell register. Ultimately our work aims to save lives. Nothing is more important than that.”
Stem Cell Awareness
One Voice works with the Anthony Nolan Trust and NHS Blood and Transplant to raise awareness of stem cell among the BAME communities in East Lancashire. The charity has successfully worked with NHS Blood and Transplant since 2015 to promote education and awareness of blood and organ donation.
More donors are urgently needed because the shortage of donors from Black and Asian communities means patients from these communities can have worse outcomes. People from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a match.
One Voice conducts ‘Drive events’ in further and higher education establishments to encourage more people to join the stem register. In 2024 the charity also aims to produce a video which will be released nationally.
Safiyya’s Book Delivers for Primary Schools
Sam’s Diary to Support Children’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing
A seventeen-year-old schoolgirl has published a new book which explores the issue of mental health and young people.
Safiyya Hanslod is a student at St. Wilfrid’s Academy, and a member of West End Girls (WEGs), a group run by One Voice Blackburn.
Sam’s Diaries, charts the story of Samantha and her battle with anxiety. It is part of a four-book series which is written by the teenager with an initial 3,000 copies being distributed to primary school children in Blackburn and Darwen.
One Voice, through the Baiter Sehat programme, aim to create 2000 Dementia Friends by 2025.
A Dementia Friend learns a little bit more about what it’s like to live with dementia and then turns that understanding into action – anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend. You usually become a Dementia friend by attending a face-to-face Dementia Friends Information Session delivered by a Champion. Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and the small ways you can help. From telling friends about Dementia Friends to visiting someone you know living with dementia, every action counts. READ MORE…
Dementia Friends
One Voice, through the Baiter Sehat programme, aim to create 2000 Dementia Friends by 2025.
A Dementia Friend learns a little bit more about what it’s like to live with dementia and then turns that understanding into action – anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend. You usually become a Dementia friend by attending a face-to-face Dementia Friends Information Session delivered by a Champion. Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and the small ways you can help. From telling friends about Dementia Friends to visiting someone you know living with dementia, every action counts.
One Voice has delivered Dementia Friends sessions in schools, community settings, workplaces and care homes. As of February 2024, 1800 Dementia Friends have been created.
Dementia Awareness in the Community’ has been funded by The National Lottery Community fund.
Mental Health in the Workplace
One Voice works with the Anthony Nolan Trust and NHS Blood and Transplant to raise awareness of stem cell among the BAME communities in East Lancashire. The charity has successfully worked with NHS Blood and Transplant since 2015 to promote education and awareness of blood and organ donation.
More donors are urgently needed because the shortage of donors from Black and Asian communities means patients from these communities can have worse outcomes. People from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a match.
One Voice conducts ‘Drive events’ in further and higher education establishments to encourage more people to join the stem register. In 2024 the charity also aims to produce a video which will be released nationally.
A Sense of Belonging…
Social inclusion affects many important aspects of someone’s life, including health, housing, employment, leisure activities, relationships, and sense of community belonging. One Voice is working with men and women with serious mental illness of South Asian heritage and from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to help them build back their connection with wider society as part of their whole life recovery process and gain the confidence to take part in mainstream activities and opportunities along with everyone else.
We deliver an 8 week programme of support with separate women’s and men’s groups running each week.
HPV Vaccine Awareness
One Voice is working with IntraHealth and Blackburn with Daren Council’s Public Health in supporting awareness of HPV Vaccine in schools. The HPV vaccine is given to children in year 8, this vaccine is for both boys and girls and there is only one dose needed for full protection.
The HPV vaccine protects against several strains of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which can cause some cancers. In 2023 NHS England pledged to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.
Vitamin D
One Voice and Baiter Sehat (Better Health) promote vitamin D use in all communities of Blackburn with Darwen, and in particular those form a BAME background.
- Vitamin D is crucial to support bone and muscle health
- Over time a lack of vitamin D, can lead to bone deformities in children and painful bones in adults
- The best way to make vitamin D is from direct sunlight on the skin
- During winter up to 40% of UK adults may have low Vitamin D levels (NICE 2022)
- All adults and children over 4 years should consider taking a daily Vitamin D supplement during autumn and winter of 10 micrograms (400 IU)
You may also not get enough vitamin D year round if you:
- Have darker skin e.g. you have a south Asian, African or African-Caribbean background
- Usually wear clothes that cover up most of your skin
- Are not often outdoors or are housebound
- Adults in these groups may wish to take a higher daily Vitamin D supplement all year round. This should be no more than 100 micrograms (4,000IU)
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes is a preventable and treatable condition that can ead to numerous health complicatins such as blindness, loss of limbs, heart disease, and a variety of mentalhealth issues. through making small changes to what you eat and your llifestyle, you can help prevent Type 2 diabetes and live a healthier life. In partnership with Spring North, One Voice have created Diabetes Champions to support awareness of diabetes among young people in the community. We work with young people and their families to support lifestyle changes to prevent Type 2 Diabetes.